John Brassil (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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240. To ask the Minister for Health the provisions in place to replace the 900 general practitioners currently in the 60 to 65 age bracket who will be retiring in the near future; if he will consider legislating for a compulsory form of two or three years' service from newly graduated general practitioners in exchange for student grants or other incentives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31414/16]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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The Government is committed to ensuring that patients throughout the country continue to have access to GP services, especially in remote rural areas and also in certain disadvantaged urban areas, and that general practice is sustainable in such areas into the future. It is imperative that existing GP services in these areas are retained and that general practice remains an attractive career option for newly qualified GPs.

The Programme for Partnership Government emphasises the need to focus on enhancing primary health care services, including building up GP capacity and increasing the number of therapists and other health professionals in primary care. The annual GP training intake has increased from 120 prior to 2010 to 172 this year and I am anxious to achieve further increases in future years.

I am cognisant of the need for a new GP services contract which will help modernise our health service and develop a strengthened primary care sector, and health service management have already progressed a number of significant measures through engagement with GP representatives. The GP contracts review process will, inter alia, seek to introduce further measures aimed at making general practice a fulfilling and rewarding career option into the future.

Progress to date includes:

- Changes to the entry provisions to the GMS scheme to accommodate flexible/shared GMS/GP contracts, and to the retirement provisions for GPs under the GMS scheme, allowing GPs to hold GMS contracts until their 72nd birthday, and

- An enhanced supports package for rural GP practices has been introduced in 2016 and includes a change in the qualifying criteria for rural supports and an increase in the financial allowance from €16,216 to €20,000. The number of GPs benefitting from such rural practice supports has increased from 167 to over 300.

The Deputy’s suggestion in relation to the introduction of legislation for compulsory service from newly qualified GPs in exchange for student grants or other incentives is not currently under consideration. However, I am open to considering any innovative proposals that may be tabled in the context of the development of future GP service contracts.